Tate Britain will present the largest survey of work by William Blake in almost two decades, shedding new light on the broad imaginative range of the British artist.
The exhibition, simply titled “William Blake,” will bring together over 300 rarely seen pieces by the visionary painter and poet, who has created some of the most iconic images in the history of British art.
Among them is “Albion Rose,” which is an exuberant visualisation of the mythical founding of Britain. This print, probably made around 1793, depicts a naked man standing on a rock in a sunrise, symbolising England’s political awakening and liberty. Throughout his life, Blake was a staunch defender of the fundamental role of art in society. His practice, which ranged from watercolors to paintings and prints, was shaped by the political struggles of late 18th-century Britain.
Now renowned as a poet, Blake had grand ambitions as a visual artist, envisioning vast frescoes that he never accomplished. For the first time, Tate Britain will digitally enlarge and project onto the gallery wall “The Spiritual Form of Nelson Guiding Leviathan” and “The Spiritual Form of Pitt Guiding Behemoth.” The original artworks will also be on view in a restaging of Blake’s first and only exhibition of 1809, which flopped after a critical mauling.
The exhibition will also provide a biographical framework in which to consider the British artist’s life and work, highlighting the influence of his wife Catherine.
Over the years, she became the unacknowledged hand in the production of Blake’s engravings and illuminated books.
Among them are a series of illustrations to “Pilgrim’s Progress” and a copy of “The complaint, and the consolation Night Thoughts,” which is now thought to be coloured by Catherine.
For “William Blake,” Tate Britain will recreate the domestic room above the family hosiery shop, allowing visitors to encounter the paintings exactly as people did in 1809.
The exhibition “William Blake” will be on view from September 11 through February 2, 2020 at Tate Britain in London. – Relaxnews
